CIA AGENT ORDERED TO COVER UP-COUNSEL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000402790001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 26, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 29, 1987
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

S7, Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/26: CIA-RDP90-00965R000402790001-2
WASHINGTON TIMES
MAY 291987
CIA a nt
6%;;
ordered to
cover up
- counsel
Tel l was MA
A former CIA station chieff h
Costs Rica was ordered to halo cover
yn wing efforts for the Nicara-
rab resistance, accordine to a
me= n Iran-Con - invres-
taaative committee Chief Counsel
dez - alias 7bmas
afire to appear before the hearings
std the first Iran-Contra witness
scheduled to appear in secret ses-
sion. He was scheduled to give
closed testimony this morning.
Mr Fernandez ran the CIA office
in Costs Rice until his recall to head-
quarters in January during the Iran-
Contra probe.
Me Liman, in a secret memo writ-
ten before the congressional
hearings.began four weeks ago.
wrvts~ 11t (Chief of StationCosta
RiaL we belied was told not to rile
official reports - although we be-
lieve a that (CIA Director ql )
Clowime.
w M State Department was told
to bap itsnoseoat of it -and so was
the DIA (Defense Intelligence
Ageacyl. Congress was given noth-
ing but datiai, Me Liman said
In the memo a copy of which was
obtabed by The WiW%iingeoa Times.
Mr Liman does not Identify who told
Ms rornandes not to file official re-
ports or who sold the State Depart-
ment b "keep its now ovt of it'
When the mom was written. Mc
Liman conceded that some of Me
Fe aandaa' testimony aught now to
be taken in closed sessm That was
ao iswss` be said. we would expect
to resslee satIaf'acwriy with the in.
wrote that Mr FerntRdaz' tes-
timony, along with that of other intel- statements implicating CIA superi-
ligence agency officials, "reveals the ors in Col. North's arms network.
whole secret government-within-a- Earlier this year Mr. Fernandez told
government operated from the (Old investigators that at least three
Executive ice Building) by a liew other agency officials, including
tenant colonel, with its own Army, A Ctai deputy director of
Air Force, diplomatic agents. intelli- operations who the agency's top
Bence operatives and appropriations covert operations official. knew of
capecit)e his work for Cool. North.
Mr. Fernandez could show "that A Alan Da~ , head of the agen-
the whole operation was conducted ry en America task form and
secretly and with a cover of i Duane Clarridge, a CIA counterter-
deniebitity, Mt Ilatao wrote.
Mfflm ,31so were implicated
U. Col. Oliver North's courier in
Central America, testified that Mc
Fernandez was his CIA contact in
the region, beginning in August
1983.
Me Owen said In that mouth he
went to Costs Rip to scout for in a-
dons to build an airstrip where pri-
vate donations to the Contras could
be landed. He.said Mr. Fernandez
showed him possible sites, loaned
him a camera to photograph the area
and helped him create a cover story
than the strip would be used for an
agricultural project.
The meeting took place while the
CIA was banned from helping the
Contras under the congressional
Rod Amendment.
According m Mr. Owen, Mr. Fer-
nandez, along with Ambassador to
Costa Rica Lewis 'limbs, worked
with CoL North in helping the resis-
tance develop a southern front.
Mc Fernandez was part of the net-
work of persons linked by encryp-
tioa devices through which Col.
North salt coded messages from
Whehington on operating the Contra
supply chain. according to retired
Air Force Mai. Gan. Richard Secord.
who testified earlier in the hearings.
According to published accounts.
Mx Fernandez has recanted earlier
But sources said Mr. Fernandez-
has since changed his account, say-
ing he had no direct knowledge of
the involvement of others.
That retraction reportedly leaves
the Iran-Contra panel with no
firsthand evidence that anyone in
the CIA other than Me Casey. who/
died May 3, knew of Col. North's op`
eration.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/26: CIA-RDP90-00965R000402790001-2